Drones Of Suhour

Philanthrophy

July 1, 2018, 1:17 pm

“Ramadan gives us an opportunity to step outside the confines of our day-to-day preoccupations and give back to the community.”

The Youth Council at the Community Development Authority in Dubai (CDA) launched the second edition of “Their Suhour On Us” initiative for Ramadan this year, which will see Suhour meals distributed to laborers and needy people in Dubai.

With Smart Dubai as the initiative’s Diamond Sponsor, the Youth Council and its volunteers will deliver meals to the Al Quoz Mosque every night, and will also be visiting seven more mosques in Deira and Bur Dubai throughout the month. On the sideline of this tour, DHA youth council will also provide free medical checkup for laborers. Maeed Bin Saud Al Mualla Charity Foundation will also distribute “Their Suhour On Us” meals at two mosques in Um Al Quwain.

CDA’s Youth Council aims to distribute 32,000 meals this Ramadan, 1000 volunteer will be working hand in hand to achieve this, and among them will be volunteers from PWD.

Weighing 1.1kg, each meal pack will contain the essentials for those observing fast throughout the month, with some extras thrown in for good measure.

Flying Meals

Khalfan Hablel, the UAE inventor, has developed a drone to help PWD to distribute meals as part of this initiative. More than 3,000 meals to labourers using drones, the CDA said.

With one drone able to carry up to 10 food packages (about 10kg), the drone will be able to fly for 30 minute periods, several times a day.

To execute the activity well, the drone’s designer told local press that three volunteers will have to “maintain visual line of sight, announce when the drone has taken off and landed, and make sure it is on the right route”.

“They will be doing this from the control room and will have contact with the volunteers at the distribution site who are receiving the packages. Once the meals have been offloaded, the volunteer in the control room will then monitor the drone as it flies back to its original site.”

All three drone volunteers will be trained by the Sanad Academy in Dubai, with the training commencing next week.

In the Spirit of the Founding Father

Her Excellency Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, Director General of the Smart Dubai Office (SDO) who attended the inauguration remarked: “2018 marks the 100th Birth Anniversary of the most generous man the nation has ever seen — our Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Embracing his values and bolstering the spirit of giving, we are proud to join hands with the Community Development Authority this Holy Month of Ramadan, supporting the ‘Suhoorhum A’aleina’ initiative for the second consecutive year.”

“Ramadan gives us an opportunity to step outside the confines of our day-to-day preoccupations and give back to the community, and this campaign is an ideal platform for us to support humanitarian efforts in the UAE, adopting the true spirit of the Holy Month,” she added.

HE Ahmed Julfar, director general of the CDA honored the partners of the initiative, stressing that their support will significantly contribute in achieving its goals and reaching the largest possible segment of beneficiaries. He pointed out that every member of the society as well as every institution is responsible, each from his own position, for sustainable community development that will be enjoyed by future generations.

“During last Ramadan, CDA Youth Council managed to organise the initiative and to achieve great results, the initiative attracted large numbers of volunteers and many institutions to participate in it. I expect that the great enthusiasm and the success achieved by the initiative will make it an annual platform to do good in the month of good”, he said.

“This Ramadan, the initiative will take new dimensions, it will be bigger, more organised and provides several sponsorship and partnership packages that allow any private or government entity to support it the way they prefer. This year we also have pre-registered 1000 volunteers and volunteers from PWD which convey a message that everyone can contribute to the society in some way”, he concluded.

“Their Suhour On Us” this year is supported by Sadia in collaboration with Food Bank, Carrefour, Yam’at Al Tayebeen, Al Shalal Water, Al Rawabi , Al Marai, Camelicious, Dubai Police, Civil Aviation Authority, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Department and Dubai Ambulance Youth Council.

Mr. Suhail Al Bastaki, Director of the Department of Happiness and Marketing, said, “The initiative is aligned with the strategic objectives of the Union’s cooperation to promote good deeds, we hope by supporting it we will be able to encourage more volunteering and spread Zayed’s heritage for doing good for others. We are keen to support CDA initiatives and programs in general, especially youth initiatives, in order to empower them to contribute as they should to the country’s development.

Photo Credit – www.thenational.ae